


the girl next door

by cinderstorms



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Discussion of Grief, F/F, Oh my god they were neighbours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:33:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21847501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderstorms/pseuds/cinderstorms
Summary: Beau’s new neighbour was hot.
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett/Yasha
Comments: 5
Kudos: 181





	the girl next door

**Author's Note:**

  * For [holyrobo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/holyrobo/gifts).



> christmas fic exchange year 2!! merry christmas amy

Beau’s new neighbour was hot.

It was stupid o’clock on a bitter September morning. Beau was on her way to work; she was completely zoned out as she blasted music through her headphones to try and wake herself up. She couldn’t hear a thing which is why when a tall figure began rushing towards the lift, gesticulating and mouthing words that she couldn’t hear, Beau panicked.

She pressed the down button.

“Fuck,” Beau said, pulling off her headphones as the doors closed, and the lift began to move. “You fucking idiot.”

It took all of two seconds post panic for Beau to remember there was supposed to be someone moving into the apartment block today and that was probably them. Great first impression. Beau assumed she could add this new neighbour to the list of people in the block who thought she was an asshole.

The lift doors opened, and Beau stepped outside to see the figure waiting for her. It was a tall woman with jet black hair. She was leant over, trying to catch her breath. Beau winced. The five flights to her flat were bad on a good day but this lady had made it down them in the time it had taken for the rusted lift to reach the ground floor. That was fast. Beau was impressed.

Beau opened her mouth to apologise but was stunned into silence as the woman stood up properly. She was taller than Beau had registered and her eyes… Well, one was a green-blue and the other an intense violet. They were hypnotising.

Beau blinked. _Shake it off!_

“I am so sorry,” Beau said. “I was not paying attention at all and you scared me.”

The woman gave a small smile. “No, it is ok. I realise now that running towards you like that probably was not the best idea.”

“You’re the new tenant, right?” Beau asked.

“Yes,” She said sticking out her hand. “I’m Yasha Nydoorin. Currently moving into apartment 5B.”

“Beauregard Lionett. Everyone calls me Beau though. Looks like we’re neighbours then. I’m in 5A.” Beau shook Yasha’s hand.

Her hand was bigger than Beau’s and her fingers were firm and calloused. Beau had to take in a deep breath. She had known Yasha for all of ten minutes. These insta-crushes had gotten her nowhere in life so far, she needed to brush it off.

“I have to get going or I’ll be late to work,” Beau said. “Sorry again about the lift thing. See you around?”

“Sure,” Yasha said. “Have a good day at work.”

“Thanks,” Beau replied. “Have uh.. a good day unpacking?”

Yasha let out a soft laugh. “I will.”

Beau darted out of the building and sped down the street. Gods above was she fucked.

/

Beau didn’t actually see Yasha much considering they lived next door to one another. They seemed to be on opposite schedules. Beau was up early to head down to the Cobalt Soul Archives and back by the late afternoon to settle down for the evening. Yasha’s apartment was always devoid of noise when Beau got back from work. Beau sometimes woke up in the early hours of the morning to the sound of Yasha’s door opening and closing. She wondered what Yasha was doing.

Most of their contact came in the form of gifts. Beau felt like she was in a hallmark movie. After their first meeting, Beau had told the first person she had run into at work in the hopes they could help her make it up to Yasha – a better first impression. That had just so happened to be Caduceus.

“What am I going to do Cad?” Beau had asked. “I cannot have anyone else in that apartment building think I am an asshole because right now I think 80% of them do.”

“I mean you have already apologised,” Caduceus said in his low drawling tone. “The only other thing I would recommend is a welcome gift.”

“I know nothing about her.” Beau was sprawled out over the breakroom sofa now. She was aware she was acting like a petulant toddler, but she didn’t really care. Everyone working here knew her well enough now to know this was a semi-regular occurrence.

Caduceus set a steaming mug on the table in front of her, tapping her legs so that he could sit down. Beau lifted them up to make room for him. Caduceus sat down and took a long sip of his drink before speaking again. “You can’t go wrong with some tea.”

So that is what she did. She ignored Nott telling her that _of course_ Caduceus would tell her to give Yasha tea, that is his go to gift for everyone and thanked Jester for reminding Nott that the weather had been exceptionally cold recently so tea would actually be quite a good gift for those late nights Yasha had.

Caduceus had allowed Beau to pick a couple of loose-leaf teas from his own personal collection (Beau did not drink tea, only coffee and therefore had next to no knowledge on what would be a good choice). Beau had left them on Yasha’s doorstep before she left for work one morning with a little note on top apologising once again for the lift incident and wishing that she settled in smoothly.

/

Beau didn’t expect to get anything back. Afterall, Yasha was the new neighbour – why would she get something for Beau? Still, after a few days Beau arrived back from work to find a small package on her own doorstep. She stared at it for a moment, surprised, before picking it up and making her way into her flat.

Beau opened the card first. It was covered in flowers. Beau ran her fingers over them – they’d clearly been pressed onto the paper. Inside was a short message –

_Beau,_

_Thank you for the tea. It was very nice, and I think I’ll have to start buying some myself._

_A friend of mine is big on paying back others for what they’ve done – I noticed you have long days at work so I hope that this will keep you warm._

_I made the card (and the soup) myself._

_Yasha_

Beau looked at the gift – inside the tupperware was the aforementioned soup. Beau opened the lid and sniffed. It smelled good. She took it into the kitchen and reheated it. It was delicious.

Beau picked up the card from the table and read Yasha’s message again. Before she went to bed that night, she placed it on her window ledge.

/

It became a thing for them to exchange gifts. Beau immediately went back to Caduceus for more tea recommendations. Every few days Beau would get something in return – more soups, a scarf when the bitter air turned even colder. Each time they were accompanied with a card pressed with different flowers. Beau was starting to have quite the collection – they were lining her window ledge and her fireplace now.

Beau was glad they were able to continue the exchange. She rarely saw Yasha – they always managed to miss each other. With the letters and the tea and the soup though, it felt like they were still able to have a conversation. Each package helped Beau get to know Yasha a little more.

It was the end of October when Beau fell ill. She had known it was coming, felt the illness creeping up on her. Beau had taken a few days off work whilst she was stuck in the worst of it and spent most of her time moving between her bed and the sofa, lying with tissues stuck up her nose as she felt sorry for herself.

On the third day, Beau decided to venture out. She needed to stock up on tissue and her fridge was looking pretty bare. She opened her front door to see Yasha outside. Beau glanced down to see a familiar sight – an envelope balanced on top of some tupperware on her doorstep.

“Oh hello,” Yasha said.

“Hi,” Beau said.

“I didn’t realise you were home,” Yasha said. Beau swore she saw a pink tinge on Yasha’s cheeks.

“Not feeling too good,” Beau told her, leaning down to pick up the gift. “I hope this is soup.”

“It is,” Yasha said.

“You’re an angel,” Beau said, gripping the soup to her chest. “I can’t wait to devour this.”

Yasha smiled. “If you like… If you like I can show you how I make it. It’s not too hard.”

“Right now?” Beau asked.

Yasha shrugged. “If you’re free. I have a few hours before I need to leave for work yet.”

“I really have to go to the store,” Beau said. “I have nothing in my cupboards and need to stock up on medicine.”

“Oh, ok,” Yasha said. Her face was unreadable. “Another time then?”

“I could come around after I get back?” Beau suggested. “Is that cool?”

Yasha nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Great,” Beau said. “See you in about an hour then.”

Yasha waved goodbye.

Beau sped to the store. She definitely forgot to buy half the things on her shopping list, but she would make do – she got her tissues and a few ready meals, the rest could wait until she was better. It was the excitement of what was to come. Beau was curious – she was about to see inside of Yasha’s apartment for the first time. It was a big step after over a month of exchanging gifts.

Beau waited about ten minutes after unpacking before knocking on Yasha’s door. She bounced on her heels as she waited for Yasha to come to the door. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like so much longer.

Yasha opened the door with a smile on her face, gesturing for Beau to step inside. “Come in,” She said.

“Thank you,” Beau said. “Should I take off my shoes?”

“If you don’t mind,” Yasha replied.

The first thing Beau noticed after stepping into Yasha’s apartment was the plants. They were everywhere – on shelves in the hallway, on the dining room table, on the floor and all over the balcony outside. Then it was the art. Every inch of the walls was covered in paintings, mostly landscapes. Lots of stormy nights.

“Wow,” Beau said, perching on the edge of the beaten old sofa that took centre place in Yasha’s living/dining room.

“Tea?” Yasha asked.

Beau shook her head. “Just some water please.”

Yasha brought her a drink and sat down on the sofa beside her.

“You have a lot of plants,” Beau stated the obvious. “How do you keep them all alive? I can barely look after a cactus.”

Yasha gave Beau a small smile. She opened her mouth as if to speak and then pursed her lips together. “I… I knew someone who was good with plants. She taught me everything I need to know.”

“Including how to press flowers?” Beau asked.

Yasha nodded.

“That’s pretty fucking cool,” Beau said.

Yasha smiled. “Thanks.”

They finished their drinks and then headed to the kitchen. Yasha’s cupboards were full of all sorts – Beau was a little jealous. She couldn’t really complain though – Beau cooked about three things in her kitchen and everything else was microwavable. Yasha got a selection of vegetables out of the fridge and began instructing Beau on how to cut them up. The whole thing took about an hour in total. As time went on, Beau noticed Yasha open up a little bit. She smiled at Beau’s nonsensical statements and asked about what she did for work. Beau didn’t press Yasha too much on her own personal life – she seemed to dance around adding her own anecdotes to Beau’s stories. Beau figured she would find out eventually.

“I have to go to work soon,” Yasha sighed.

“Oh shit, right,” Beau said, glancing at her watch. “That went fast.”

“I know,” Yasha smiled.

Beau gathered her stuff together. “Thanks for having me round. I needed this.”

“I’m glad I could help you out,” Yasha said. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Definitely.” Beau said. “I know you’re out late most days during the week, but are you free on weekends?”

“Most of the time” Yasha said.

“Great. Knock on my door anytime,” Beau told her. “You taught me how to make soup, so I’ll teach you… well I don’t know yet. I’ll think of something.”

“I look forward to it,” Yasha said. There was a teasing smile on her lips. “Goodbye Beau.”

/

They met up almost every weekend. The doorstep gifts still occurred during the week. Beau was now making frequent trips to the tea shop Caduceus’ favourite tea shop to buy more teas for Yasha, kitted out in the scarf and mittens Yasha had made from her. Honestly, Beau was constantly surprised by her skill. What _couldn’t_ that lady do.

Beau learned a little more about her too. She worked as a teacher and mentor at a local boxing gym, helping them funnel their anger into something that wasn’t going to get them into trouble. Yasha was ripped. It was particularly noticeable when she spent time in the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves and putting on her apron to make soups and to bake – bread, pastries, the lot. Beau would have to introduce her to Jester one day. They would get on well.

She also learnt that Yasha had lost a lot of things in her life. She didn’t verbally confirm it at first, but Beau picked up on the way she went quiet when family was mentioned and there was still a lot of mystery about her personal life.

It was late November. Yasha had laced her winter baked goods with cinnamon and vanilla. She had invited Beau to come over and help decorate for Christmas – apparently she hadn’t decorated for the past few years and Beau wasn’t exactly the biggest Christmas fan in the world but had told Yasha she couldn’t let her decorations sit and gather dust for another five years. So, Yasha baked and Beau decorated.

Christmas music played as Beau draped tinsel everywhere she could reach. She sang along out of tune whilst Yasha laughed at her from the kitchen. Yasha came out to join her when the cake went in the oven, adding the angel to the top of the tree. Beau watched as Yasha’s eyes widened at the lights and the baubles draped around the tree.

“Wow.”

Beau raised her eyebrows. “Good wow or bad wow?”

“Good, good,” Yasha reassured her. “It’s just been a long time since I had decorations up, that’s all.”

Beau watched Yasha walk around the room, her fingers reaching out to touch all of the decorations.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Yasha said, turning to face Beau.

“What do you mean?” Beau asked.

“To be blunt – I had a wife. She died,” Yasha said. “I haven’t had decorations up because I didn’t feel like Christmas was worth celebrating for many years. All these plants – most used to belong to her. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of them after she died. Then I found myself just buying more to fill the empty spaces. She was the one who taught me how to press the flowers.”

Yasha paused before adding. “I started cooking and baking because it gave me purpose. It makes me feel useful. Kept me busy when I wasn’t at work.”

“I… fuck. I’m sorry.” Beau said.

“No, I’m sorry, that was a lot to just throw at you.” Yasha shook her head. “I feel like I needed to say it. I’ve been trying to these past few months but it’s hard. It’s a hard conversation to have. Besides, I wanted to thank you though. I moved away because I needed a change. My only real friend was moving away too, and I didn’t want to be stuck in a town alone. I was going to lose myself otherwise. You’ve made me feel incredibly welcome here. I really appreciate that.”

“I’m glad I could do that for you.” Beau was quiet. “If it’s not too much, can I ask what her name was?”

“Her name was Zuala,” Yasha said with a small, sad smile.

“Zuala,” Beau repeated. “That’s a beautiful name.”

Yasha nodded. The timer went off in the kitchen and she let out a loud sigh. She fixed a small smile onto her face. Beau could see the emotion in her eyes. “Want to help ice the cake?”

/

In the end, Beau decided to invite Yasha to her work Christmas party. Unsurprisingly, she gets on well with Caduceus. Jester too – everyone loves Jester though, so that one was a given.

The day Beau had gone round to help with Yasha with the decorations was a turning point for them – they iced the cake in relative silence but when they sat down on the sofa afterwards with a slice of fruitcake and some mulled wine (also made by Yasha) the words seemed to burst out of them.

Yasha talked about her late wife, the home they had lived in together. She talked about her friend Molly and how he enjoyed travelling and had taken the steps to emigrate someplace warm. Yasha missed his outlandish company. She talked about losing her parents relatively young and how being on her own was something Yasha had come to draw comfort from.

In return, Beau talked about herself. She talked about the fractured relationship with her dad and the fact it upset her that she rarely got to see her younger brother. Beau talked about how she spent her teen years getting into trouble with her ex-girlfriend and how eventually she discovered she had a knack for history, eventually finding her way to the Cobalt Soul Archives. It had taken a long time, but things had finally fallen into place for her – it was one thing Beau mentioned to Yasha. Whilst patience wasn’t her strong suit, she knew eventually that things would work out in her favour.

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Yasha had said.

Beau hadn’t gone home until after midnight and had found herself lying awake for a long time until she fell asleep.

Since then they had been meeting up regularly – outside of their apartments. Yasha had taken her along to watch her work. Beau saw a lot of herself in the young kids Yasha trained. Something like this would have been a good release for her had Beau had access to it when she was growing up. They went on walks too – Beau took Yasha to different parts of their neighbourhood, showing her the local park, the nicest coffeeshops, restaurants and pubs and even the local botanical garden. That one had been on Yasha’s list since she had moved in, but she hadn’t had time yet to visit yet. It was cold and there was a faint layer of frost on all the plants still hanging on, but Beau thought Yasha had still enjoyed it. She made a note to take her again in the summer. (They were _not_ dates, no matter what Jester and Nott said. Definitely not dates).

It only really seemed natural when the Christmas work party cropped up that Beau invite Yasha. Beau’s friends at work had heard about her and wanted to meet her. Yasha was curious about what she did, and the people Beau called her second family.

“Your friend seems nice,” Fjord said, approaching Beau with two beer bottles in hand.

He handed one to her and they clinked the bottles together. Beau took a swig and hummed.

“Yeah, she’s something,” Beau responded.

Fjord raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Beau said.

Fjord shook his head. “She’s something,” He repeated. “Interesting.”

“Fuck off.” Beau rolled her eyes. “Go bother Caleb or something.”

Beau found her way back to Yasha eventually. They stayed a little longer before deciding to head out, walking back to their apartment block together. Christmas was days away now – the air was harsher than ever before. Beau pulled her jacket up to cover the lower half of her face as she shivered.

“God I can’t wait to get home. It’s freezing,” Beau said. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“No, thank you for inviting me. I had fun. You have some nice friends,” Yasha said. “Caduceus said he would send me some tea recommendations.”

“I guess I should find some new gifts to give you then,” Beau said. 

“You giving me your time every weekend is a gift in itself,” Yasha told her.

A tiny bit of warmth sprouted in Beau’s chest. “I enjoy spending time with you,” Beau said after a moment.

Yasha just smiled back.

They were quiet in the lift up to their floor. Beau looked at Yasha out of the corner of her eye and caught Yasha looking over at her. They got out at their floor and turned to look at one another.

“Do you… want to come in?” Yasha asked. “I made eggnog.”

“Of course you did,” Beau said. She was already stepping towards Yasha’s door. “Yes.”

Yasha laughed. “Come on then.”

They stepped into the warmth of Yasha’s apartment. The room was dark, lit up just by the twinkling of the lights around the tree. Beau slipped out of her shoes and jacket and sat in what she had now claimed to be her side of Yasha’s sofa, feet tucked up underneath her.

Yasha brought her a mug of eggnog and they sat beside each other in silence as they drank.

“So –” Beau began. At the same time Yasha said “Beau, I –”

“Sorry,” Beau said. “You go first.”

Yasha placed her mug down on the table. She was quiet for a moment before speaking. “I just wanted to thank you again for all you have done for me these past couple of months. I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting, with the end of the year coming up. It is crazy to think how much things have changed for me. You have definitely been a big part of that.” Yasha turned to face Beau. “I was talking to Molly the other day. He said I seem happy.”

“That’s good,” Beau said. “That you’re happy, I mean.”

Yasha nodded. “Molly… he has a good way of working things out of me, things I might not have admitted to myself yet. This is all a very roundabout way of me asking if maybe, after Christmas you would like to go on a date with me.”

Beau had been about to take a sip of eggnog. She paused and lowered her mug from her mouth. “Me?”

“Yes, you Beau,” Yasha laughed softly. “Who else? Only if you want to.”

“I… I would love to. A date.” Beau repeated.

“A date.” Yasha nodded.

Beau set her mug down on the table beside Yasha’s. “Jester told me that all the times we went out were already dates and we just didn’t know it yet,” Beau said. “She and Nott are going to be telling me that they told me so for months.”

“I like your friend Jester,” Yasha said. “She is very wise.”

The night ended as it always did with Beau preparing to head back to her flat way past midnight. They had moved closer and closer to each other on the sofa until they were sat, pressed against each other. Yasha had walked Beau to the front door and pressed a soft kiss to Beau’s cheek.

“Mistletoe,” Yasha said, gesturing at the sprig pinned above the doorway that Beau had completely missed before.

“Huh,” Beau had stared up at the plant for a second before deciding to throw her fucks to the wind and just go for it. Yasha kissed her back of course but Beau kept that bit for herself when she recounted the story to her friends a few days later.


End file.
